This invention relates in general to the protection of human noses from the effects of exposure to the sun and, more particularly, to a sun shield removably attachable to eyeglasses to shield the nose from sunlight.
As is well known, the skin of the nose is particularly sensitive to intense sunlight, which can cause severe sunburn, to the extent that the skin is blistered, and eventually permanent skin damage and possibly skin cancer.
Hats of various kinds are often worn to protect the skin of the face and nose from excessive sun exposure. However, in environments with considerable reflected sunlight, such as beaches and snow conditions, hats are not fully effective. Hats cannot be easily worn during some outdoor activities, such as surfing or beach volleyball.
Sunscreen lotions and various ointments, such as zinc oxide, are sometimes applied to the nose as a protection against sun exposure. While generally effective if properly used, some people are sensitive to some ingredients in these lotions and ointments and suffer an allergic reaction. On hot, humid, days perspiration may wash away the protective film, without the person being aware of the loss of protection. If the person is swimming or surfing, protection is rapidly lost. Thus, under many conditions these agents may provide only limited, short time, protection.
A number of different nose guards or sun shields have been developed over the years to provide more positive and certain protection to the skin of the nose. Some, such as that disclosed by Harris in U.S. Pat. No. 1,761,664 mechanically clip to the nose. These nose shields are uncomfortable to wear and tend to come loose with vigorous exercise. Others, such as those described by Sanderson in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,594,813 and Oschner in 4,674,133 bond the shield to the nose skin with an adhesive. Again, the adhesive tends to be uncomfortable and to release its grip when exposed to perspiration or water while swimming.
Many nose shields are secured to eyeglasses, including sunglasses or goggles, in one way or another. For example, Gongoll in U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,173 fasten a shield to glasses with a cumbersome buckle and strap arrangement. Daprato, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,036, fastens a nose shield to glasses with a complex arrangement of perforated backing plate and cords. These arrangements cannot be easily installed and removed when sun conditions change. Maurice in U.S. Pat. 1,048,191 describes a nose clip to hold a nose shield in place with pince-nez glasses. The clip arrangement would obviously be quite uncomfortable.
The prior nose shields were often formed from a thin flat sheet of plastic material such as celluloid. The edges of these thin sheets tend to irritate the abutting nose skin surfaces. Further, these prior shields tend to fit only certain styles of glasses and the attachment means is not sufficiently flexible to allow the shield to lie smoothly against the nose without excessive pressure.
Thus, there is a continuing need for comfortable, effective, nose shields that can be easily and quickly installed on and removed from a variety of different styles of glasses.